‘If we’ve caught it, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be,’ was all he said, and I was so glad Helena had had the foresight to tape his number to the receiver. He was young – well, my age – the son of some friends, and completely brilliant.

Helena. Should I ring her? No, not yet. She’d only flown down a few days ago. I’d leave it until … well. I’d leave it for a bit.

Two kind and caring ambulance women were very soon outside, opening the back doors. They came forward making soothing noises, asking her name, and we all helped my mother inside. She didn’t resist, thank God. Indeed, she looked around, wide-eyed with wonder, as we got her into the brightly lit ambulance, like a child going into Santa’s grotto, I thought. The women sat her down gently in a seat and she complied as she was efficiently strapped in. I asked if I could travel with her, and they said I could. Everything happened so fast, before she had time to question it. And then, as they were about to shut the doors, I turned and saw Dad in the driveway, in his dressing gown. He looked so lost.

‘Hang on a sec.’ I hastened back. As I did so, I saw Mrs Cummings, also in her dressing gown, pop her head over the garden fence. ‘Dad, are you going to be OK?’

‘Anything I can do?’ she called, in a falsetto voice. I hesitated, wondering if actually, yes, maybe a pot of tea, a boiled egg. But my father roared in before I could utter.

‘Absolutely not!’ he boomed. Then he hissed to me: ‘I do not want that bloody woman coming round here.’

‘No, quite right,’ I muttered. ‘No, thank you, though!’ I called back over the fence. I lowered my voice to him. ‘And I’ll ring you from the hospital as soon as I can. But I wouldn’t ring Helena.’ I refrained from adding, ‘yet.’

‘Certainly not. Busy girl. And no need.’

He drew himself up to his full height, and suddenly he was the tall tank commander of yesteryear, going into the desert at the front of his men, standing up in his gun turret, like in the black and white photo in the downstairs loo. He shot Mrs Cummings a glance and I found myself feeling grateful to her for precipitating this change in him. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and ran back to the ambulance.